The Saga of Eden

Chapter 2: Changing the Course of History (part 1)

The Royal Palace to the North of Ella is a true architectural wonder of the continent. The site is built next to the great river Hamas passing through Ella and not far away from the city Square. Surrounding the Royal Palace are sections of walls 10 meters tall and 3 meters thick, protecting a large area capable of housing nearly a hundred thousand people. Thanks to these inner walls, the palace can act as the second line of defense should the Capital be invaded. There are two gates for the inner walls, the East and West gates, while the South is the river Hamas. Two large paved roads connect the gates into the Royal Palace itself, dividing the outer area inside the walls into two sections. Both sites are mostly empty grasslands, with only a few flower gardens on either side of the roads. They used to be two large gardens, but the current Empress has torn them down to eliminate wasteful expenses. Instead, she uses the empty spaces as a training ground for her Royal Guards and Court Wizards. In times of emergency, the open grasslands can also be used as temporary accommodations for the citizens.

Surrounding the Royal Palace's main building are four 50-meter-tall thin white towers right beside their four corners. They serve as watchtowers for the monarch to watch over Ella. In the middle of them all is a gigantic 5-story-tall white castle that looks even more spectacular than the cover photo of this story. The Empress initially considered tearing this castle down to build a smaller one with only one floor; fortunately, her advisors convinced her otherwise. There are hundreds of windows on four sides of this castle, and between many of these pairs of windows are statues of great monarchs of the past: Those who expanded Narn Empire, those who brought decades of prosperity to the Empire, or perhaps those who were loved by the people and nobles alike. At the Great Entrance, there are three 5-meter-tall statues made in pure gold. 

On two sides of the road leading to the entrance are statues of Zesni and Narnatic in their iconic poses. A bit farther from them and in the middle of the entrance road is the statue of the First Emperor Jariba in his royal attire. They are three members of the Great Twenty who founded Narn Empire. As per tradition, anyone who wants to enter the castle must first bow to the three statues to pay their respect, even the Empress and any rulers of nations should they visit. 

The inside of the main castle is equally impressive: The entire pathway network is covered with silk carpets, literally all of them; Each hallway displays dozens of priceless and original pictures painted by great artists throughout the centuries, many of them display the past royal families, but no painting of the current Empress can be found; there are hundreds of rooms in the castle, yet guards, servants, and maids can be found in each and every one of them; the number of jewelry inside the palace is nearly a quarter the total amount of jewelry in Ella. Even the richest man in Narn Empire could not afford a place as luxurious as the Royal Palace. And that is not to mention many opulent parts of the palace have already been sold or given away by the Empress.

In the castle's inner sanctum is a simple small room, with only a humble bookshelf, a large table in the middle, a few chairs around it, and a large map of Narn Empire and the neighboring countries spread neatly on the table. Lately, this simple room is where the Empress has visited the most: the strategy room, where she discusses plans against the invading Monster Emperor and his monster horde. Currently, there is only one person in this room, an old wizard who is reading something from the scroll, his face is nervous. While this old man looks old and feeble, he is perhaps the strongest magic user in the entire Empire. 

Suddenly, a woman in simple noble clothing enters the room, and the wizard immediately puts down the scroll, his face returns to normal. That woman is no other than her Majesty, the Empress, Nakano Tano.

"Your Majesty." The wizard bows to the woman respectfully. There are two guards behind her, but they stay outside. One of them quickly closes the door.

"No time for formalities, Yaklu, just tell me the reports straight away." Nakano quickly sits down, waves at him to be at ease. A few drops of sweat can still be seen on her face and exposed body parts.

Nakano was not related to the previous Emperor; she was born the third child of a middle-tier noble family in Narn Empire. And she is, without a doubt, the highest Level person in the Empire and the strongest combatant of them all. Many questioned the previous Emperor's decision to adopt Nakano, and a civil war broke out after his death. She went through hell and fought against the opposing nobles, defeated them all, and secured her position as Empress until this day.

Nakano was not born in luxuries, so she manages to understand the feelings of commoners, a feat not many nobles can. She knows her people have suffered greatly from the previous wars over the last two decades. And now, they are suffering even more. The sweats on her body show that she was training, ready to march against her enemies when the time comes. 

"...We...lost the battle of Jekla within their territory." Nakano's face tenses as she hears this. That battle was crucial for a quick victory against the Monster Empire. "But not to worry, our army managed to retreat in order. So we can still defend against their inevitable pushback."

"AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL PAY THE PRICE?" She screams but quickly calms down and covers her eyes tiredly. "... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's just that...Lord Shar..." The Empress continues while Yaklu stands completely motionless and emotionless. "That devious necromancer, if only I had managed to land that arrow..."

…

Not many people know this, but it is possible to go beyond the Level cap 100, and only a select few among Talented people can achieve this. If Talented people are one among thousands, then these people are one among millions. People who are born with this potential are even further beyond Talented people in terms of gaining Levels and utilizing their benefits; one can easily spot when a baby is born with such potential, almost any Talented Wizard can, using {Examinate}. And that's why most of them were killed during infancy; such potential can be seen as a threat in the eyes of many. 

Indeed, when a person exceeds the Level cap 100, the rest can only tremble in awe before the mighty power that person can unleash: The power that can bring kingdoms to their peaks or their ruins. 

A title is given to the lucky few who were granted this gift and pass the trial of survival: Legendary. 

Nakano is one of the lucky few who managed to survive childhood and achieved the title Legendary.

Legendary people are significant assets for any country, so nations tend to get rid of potential Legendary candidates in their rivals' realm. As a result, Legendary individuals are once in a lifetime for nations. Most countries only have one Legendary person, Narn Empire included, many have none, and few have two. 

According to my knowledge, no nation ever had 4 Legendaries in the last seven centuries, Narn Empire once had 3 for a while, but that's centuries ago. 2 other nations much farther away also had 3 for a brief period of time. During those times, they all indeed became dominant powers in the region, but only Narn Empire managed to maintain its status.

… 

Unfortunately, Lord Shar also has such potential. Nakano had one chance to kill him when he was only Level less than 80, but she missed the killing blow, and he escaped. Now, he has returned and is serving under the Monster Emperor as a Legendary and a constant thorn in her eyes.

The war against the Monster Emperor has gone on for months. The Empress made the mistake of not leading the army in the beginning since news of the war would not reach Ella any time soon. The fighting was far away from the Capital, so she wanted to stay behind and maintain public order. Perhaps that was a blunder from her. Thanks to her Reforms, the Imperial Army is numerous, well-trained, and achieves victories one after another. However, after every battle, Lord Shar would turn the corpse from both sides into undead, gaining even more men in their army. Only a Legendary necromancer like him can control that many undead at once. Soon, her army no longer had the numerical advantage, their defeat was inevitable. Perhaps the war…

[The only way for us to win is if I kill Lord Shar.] The Empress thinks.

"What do you suggest, Yaklu?" She then turns to the old wizard and asks.

"Probably the same as you." The wizard is in deep thoughts. "We need to look for Lord Shar constantly, and when we spot him, we kill him. You will need to be at the frontline."

"Of course. When should I go?" Nakano nods.

"Our process in raising a second army is still underway. We had to do it in a remote city, or else Ella would turn into chaos, and some nobles might use the chance to revolt." Yaklu explains in detail his view, which she agrees with.

"If only we could recruit in Ella...Well, now it will take another month. Afterward, you should lead this army." He continues.

"...That makes sense. Thank you, Yaklu." The Empress nods in resignation, she wants to go now, but her most trusted advisor's suggestion is more sound. But the people…

The monsters attacked the bordering cities and towns out of nowhere before she could even react. She declared war on them immediately after but kept the war mostly a secret to Ella and most of the Empire. So not many know the full scale of this war, not even the soldiers themselves. But they know the monsters did horrible things to the victims there, and the more Nakano waits, the more people will suffer the same fate. Still, she has to grit her teeth and bide her time. She must win at all cost, even if she has to empty the treasury.

Yaklu notices the worried expression on the Empress's face, so he tries to cheer her up. "In the meantime, your Majesty, why don't you listen to some of the good news that happened recently?"

"Sure, go ahead, Yaklu." She waves her hand distractingly, allowing him to continue.

"The Level 72 demon, Narila, has been killed, so we don't have to take care of it ourselves." The wizard happily says.

"That's good to know. Astraka did it right?" Nakano asks while staring at the map on the table, her focus is elsewhere, but she still has to pay attention to local affairs. "We can't let local nuances shift our already thin manpower. Do try to offer Astraka his old position back. Anything else?"

"Yes, yesterday there was this merchant who..."

*Yawn* Man, politics are boring! Back to Eden, I guess. Third is outta here!